SammyGreene wrote:Time for me to pour some more well deserved praise after the past couple of weeks.
Wally: His remarkable tenure as a coach here slipped in the latter years until the 2011 run but now we are reminded again. He holds everyone accountable and has earned the respect of his players that is simply unmatched. These guys would run through a wall for him. As a coach that is hard to accomplish in any league or any sport.
Mark Washington: Thought it might be a make it or break it season in his coaching career. Has learned from his past four seasons as DC and the talent he has to work with. There were a few times where Masoli went through his reads and simply didn't have the options that were available the previous week and you could see his frustration. Washington is throwing a whole bunch of looks at opposing offences including double safeties which is getting Anthony Thompson value game time too. I will leave it to Blitz to get into the Xs and Os of the various looks Washington is giving. But keep this up and he is destined to be at the top of head coaching candidates next season.
Shawn Gore & Jamal Westerman: Two one-time promising Canadians that are thriving with Wally back in charge. Throw Lokombo, Edem, Menard, Steward, Vallincourt and Husband and the Lions' national talent is looking as good as anyone. Also tells what they think of Thompson's ability when they don't even dress an extra American DB. Didn't see Ianuzzi targeted even once last night. Sure would like to see Adekolu get some playing time.
5
Real short turnaround week with some potential key injuries to be concerned about — Brooks, Johnson and Rainey. Very likely we will see Anthony Allen, Bryant Turner and maybe JC Coleman against the Argos.
It was obvious last season that this Leo team had a lot of young talent. We lost 5 games out of 6 going into the fourth quarter with the lead last year, which can happen to a young team. That young 2015 squad was also hampered by a very conservative George Cortez offence and a passive defensive style of play, with Bighill on defense, often dropping off to playing a second safety for a chunk of the season, Roh and Westerman playing out of position for most of the season, and poor special teams play,
Going into this season, we knew we had the best linebacking unit in the CFL, with Bighill, Eliminian, and Lokimbo and Purifoy has been an upgrade at nickel so far. In the defensive backfield, we had ball hawks and talent in Yell, Lee, and Phillips but we lacked a safety. With Edem and Stewart we've added experience and smarts in the secondary and Thompson is proving out to be a wise 2nd round 2016 draft pick.
With Brooks inside and Westerman returning to his natural tackle position, our interior defensive line also looked solid. My two worries for 2016 were our passs rush and our defensive scheme. Our pass rush has been good so far this season. With Roh and Bazzie playing well and Minter continuing to be force, with Maxx Forde's improved development, with the additions of Allen and Palacio, our Leos can throw a lot of fresh bodies out there for our defensive line rotation.
But the biggest change has been our defensive scheme so far. We've used a lot of three man defensive line and then blitzed a linebacker or two or even a defensive back. We've really mixed up our pass rush. We've still played a lot of zone but we've used more looks and even more importantly, we've played more aggressively. Last year, we stuggled against the run and so far this season, we've done a very good job in that department.
Offensively, the surprise of this short season so far has to be the play of Shawn Gore in his new position as our short side outside receiver. While Arsenault has been our most targeted receiver (19 times in 2 games) Gore is third in CFL receiving yards after two games. Jeremiah Johnson is third I'm rushing yards to date. Jennings is only sixth in passing yards after two games.
But coaching wise, like Washington on defence, Khari Jones has made changes to his scheme. Mostly in the five pack and six pack receiver sets in 2014, Jones, this season, has used a lot of two back sets as well as tight end sets on first down and even sometimes on second down. That is a very different philosophy.
So, so far, in our first two games, its been our defense that has led the way. We've rushed the football effectively, if not spectacularly, at key times, and played well in the fourth quarter. Jennings fumble in the red zone and the turnover by Murray-Lawrence have been the only miscues in an offence that has gotten the job done. Jennings has taken a lot of chances with some of his throws but he has not been afraid to be aggressive and he has thrown some key receptions.
Two games does not a season make but I get a different sense about this 2016 Lions team so far. There is more poise about them. Jennings doesn't rattle. There seems to be a greater sense of confidence. Whether that comes from Wally or not is hard to determine but it at least appears to be a key factor.
Another factor is that we make adjustments. In our first game, our pass protection was awful in the first half but we adjusted. Our special team blocking was awful in the first game and our downfield coverage was lacking. Both were definitely fixed for our game against Hamilton. Those kinds of changes also inspire confidence.
This is going to be an intriguing season.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
Plus with the D worn down a bit, back on their heels a bit, JJ can scramble occasionally.
